Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party used a relentless stream of propaganda to try winning the support of the German people. Following the Nazi rise to power in 1933, Hitler established the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, headed by Joseph Goebbels. The Ministry sought to communicate Nazi ideas through art, music, films, books, radio, and the press.1 In this way, the Nazi regime aimed to gain the public's support.
One form of Nazi propaganda—captured in this short film clip—was patriotic postcards that were printed and sold throughout Germany and German-occupied territories. The postcards offered an affordable way to stay in contact with family and friends in an era before wide access to mass communication, and this common form of communication became interwoven with images of Hitler and party symbols. The group of Hitler Youth depicted here browse the cards as they return home to the city of Friedrichshafen from a Nazi Party congress in Nuremberg.2
The postcards show the massive popularity that Hitler enjoyed in Germany during this era. Nazi propaganda often used Hitler's image, building a myth of his supposed invincibility and charisma. The leader became associated with the nation's prosperity and was portrayed as central to its future success. Hitler's images cast him as a hero, a father figure, and a protector of Germany—and they appeared almost everywhere in Germany during the years of Nazi rule.
This film demonstrates the wide range of objects embedded with images of Hitler—images that Germans frequently encountered in the most familiar settings. Hitler's cult of personality, fueled by propaganda, became a constant presence in everyday life.